


Hope

by Lucigoosey_The_Lightbringer



Series: Here We Are In The Future... [2]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: After everything Steven's been through, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Broken Bones, Canes, Caring Aster Universe, Caring Jasper (Steven Universe), Comfort No Hurt, Emotional Recovery, Emotional Support Fish, Fluff, Gen, Hope the Fish, I just wanted some fluff with the fam, Implied/Referenced Suicide attempt, Jasper Redemption (Steven Universe), Light Angst, Pink Steven Is Not Steven, Post-Change My Mind, Protective Aster Universe, Recovery, Steven Gets a Cane, Steven Universe Future, Steven Universe Has PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Steven Universe Has a Brother, Steven Universe's Brother, Therapy Mention, Things are only uphill from here folks, Walking Canes, emotional support pet, he needs it, mostly - Freeform, physical recovery, previous suicide attempt, very light angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:01:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28087401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucigoosey_The_Lightbringer/pseuds/Lucigoosey_The_Lightbringer
Summary: A simple gesture, but… one that honestly meant everything to him. Proof that things were looking up, moving forward. Proof of the friends and family he'd made and found along the way.| Post-CMM. (Change My Mind.)
Relationships: Aster Universe & Greg Universe, Aster Universe & Jasper, Greg Universe & Steven Universe, Jasper & Greg Universe, Jasper & Steven Universe, Steven Universe & Aster Universe
Series: Here We Are In The Future... [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2057664
Comments: 10
Kudos: 38





	Hope

"Are we sure I need this…?" Steven frowned to himself, lightly prodding the floor with the cane in his hand. His eyes narrowed down at it, frustrated, before he looked back up to his father.

He thought he was doing _pretty_ well the past week, with his healing and recovery. Sure, there were still some minor fractures in his leg, but he figured he'd healed from those as much as he was going to now, right? He shouldn't have still been limping, and he'd only fallen twice. The pain wasn't really getting better, and he would admit that; it still hurt to walk, and his leg would, occasionally, give out from under him at random times. He was baffled by the sudden change, a little irritated sometimes, but not too deterred. He'd already figured his leg wasn't going to heal completely, and he'd been ready to deal with most of the pain. But he hadn't been ready to deal with Greg finally taking him to the store to buy him a cane to walk with - of all the things he needed right then, he wasn't exactly sure this fell in that category. Walking wasn't getting any easier, though it wasn't particularly getting harder either, but how was a cane going to help? In the end, it didn't really fix the problem. And he wasn't walking with a cane for the rest of his life.

"You can barely walk," Greg chided, and Steven almost rolled his eyes despite himself. 'Barely' was still walking, but okay. Maybe he should just humor the man and get it over with for now - he loved the guy, he did, but he'd been awfully… clingy? Overprotective? Helicopter-parenty? Whatever the case, it was Greg. "I think we should at least try this for a few days. Priyanka-"

"I know, I know," Steven sighed through his teeth. "Doctor says, patient does. I got it." Shifting his weight sideways after a moment to finally lean on the cane for support, taking some of the pressure off of his right leg, the hybrid offered a half-hearted shrug in his father's direction. Of course, he loved her, too - it was kind of hard _not_ loving his… best friend? Girlfriend's? They hadn't decided on official titles, but they'd definitely kissed more than that one time, so Steven was pretty sure they'd gone way past the realm of 'best friend' by then, but he wasn't entirely sure. Whatever the case, it was hard not loving Connie's mother. She was stern, and _scary_ , and the fact that he'd kissed her daughter more than once made him very… nervous around her… but he liked her. And he respected her. And for the most part, he was fine doing what she said.

"Hey, it won't be that bad." Greg reached out to ruffle his hair, and the hybrid leaned back on his feet, just barely applying enough pressure to the cane to be able to keep himself from stumbling. Greg paused, hand raised, and slowly pulled back. "Well, see? At least you know it works against Dads," he commented, cracking a grin at the slight laugh Steven huffed out in response. Alright, okay, the man had sold him. He'd use the stupid cane. If it didn't make getting around any easier, fine, he wasn't exactly getting around great to begin with. And if it did? Well, then, fine again. He wasn't going to complain, though he wasn't gonna accept an 'I told'ja so'. "Now, uh…" Greg turned his head, glancing around. "Where did Jasper and your brother go?"

"Hm?" Steven cocked his head, tilting one ear toward the ceiling. "Wha'ss that? Dad, I think they said there's a 'fire on aisle three'. Oh, they're probably there." Greg huffed out a laugh at that as he swept his gaze around, furrowing his eyebrows slightly, and Steven couldn't help but snicker. "You should've known better than to let them wander off on their own! But Aster wouldn't go far…"

His free hand twitched toward his gem without his permission, and Greg managed a faint smile. "Well, let's go find them before they do start a fire," his father declared after a moment, and Steven let out a quiet hum of agreement as he turned to follow him down the aisle once more. Using the cane was a bit tricky at first, particularly odd to be using on his left side, so he ended up switching it to his right side after a moment. _That_ made more of a difference than anything, considering it took the pressure off of his right foot much easier when he had to take a step. Okay, so the cane definitely helped a little - and while he still wasn't going to accept an 'I told'ja so', he wasn't going to lie about the fact that it was helping. "So how's that working out for you?"

"Not too bad," Steven admitted honestly as he managed to fall into step with his father again. "It still feels weird, but I… think it's helping." He stifled a sigh despite himself, throwing Greg a good-natured smile, and Greg grinned back at him slightly in response. "I'm okay, Dad. Seriously." He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath and rooting his gaze ahead again. He did _feel_ okay, if only most of the time. Yes, there were still times he didn't feel so okay, but those moments were easy to push through with the constant, steady support he'd been receiving. From his family, his friends, his therapist - therapy was going great so far, and Steven was slowly learning to open up more and more about most things. He still had yet to fully discuss the gems with Maria (and he was holding that off for as long as possible), though she had prodded the subject a few times. They'd discussed Homeworld - though, again, not _fully_. Steven had explained a few things about his relationship with the Diamonds, mostly just Blue and Yellow, but he hadn't touched the subject of White yet. It had been difficult opening up to Greg about it, simply because talking about it in itself took a rare kind of strength that didn't come too easily - and he wasn't ready to break down crying in front of basically a stranger while he tried to explain something he didn't think a human would ever be able to fully understand, unless they'd _seen_ it.

And then there were… other things. Jasper. His mother. Things he still wasn't entirely ready to discuss with Maria, things he didn't even know how to approach. She'd asked about his mother a few times when they were talking about the Diamonds, but Steven didn't entertain that topic. They hadn't really had enough time, the last two sessions, to touch on it either. And Steven hadn't even really mentioned Jasper, or even eluded to what had happened, since their first session - Maria hadn't brought it up since, and Steven wasn't about to complain about that.

But they'd only had two sessions so far, only an hour long each - not much time to allow too many lengthy discussions, Steven had to admit, and he was kind of glad for it himself. Either way, Steven felt like he was doing a little better, bit by bit, every day. He would be alright - in time, yes, but he would be alright eventually, and he was looking forward to that. For now he was just focusing on pushing forward. And the support he was receiving from everyone else…

… it made everything a lot easier.

The hybrid shook his head slightly, forcing himself to focus again as he walked. Greg was checking down aisles as they passed; Steven ended up doing the same, narrowing his eyes.

"I could call him," he suggested after a moment, shoving his free hand into his pocket to grab his new phone. He and Aster had both been given one of their own, and while Aster _usually_ didn't need it considering he never really strayed too far from Steven, he kept it with him often because he liked watching cat videos on TubeTube with Jasper - who also had her own phone now that she wasn't using… she-who-shall-not-be-named's anymore. But it definitely came in handy now, the hybrid mused to himself as he pulled his phone out and dialed Aster's number. He didn't have it saved, but he made a mental note to do that now as he put the phone to his ear, somewhat surprised that it ended up taking a few rings for his brother to answer the call.

"Hello, Steven," his brother said immediately, and Steven couldn't help but smile, rolling his eyes. He knew Aster didn't have his number saved either, so he must have memorized Steven's number just as Steven had memorized his. Because of course he did. "Are you alright?"

"Fine, just wondering where you and Jasper ran off to," Steven replied, amused. He shifted his weight onto his cane completely after a moment, despite his arm now aching from the pressure.

"Oh!" Aster managed to sound somewhat embarrassed, if not a little sheepish. "Right. I apologize. We are…" There was a slight pause and some shuffling, and Steven could hear Jasper's voice in the background; the hybrid raised his eyebrows slightly and came to a stop, looking over at Greg. His father slowed and paused beside him after a moment, turning to face him with a worried but amused expression written across his face. He shot the hybrid an inquisitive look - to which Steven merely responded with a shrug - but he turned his attention back to the phone again quickly when Aster spoke up once more, "uh, I believe we're in the 'pets' department of the store." This gave Steven pause. "Are you still near the pharmacy?"

"Hardly." Steven furrowed his eyebrows, somewhat bemused now. "Don't worry about it, we'll come to you. Why the hell are you in the pets department?" He glanced at Greg again, watching his father's eyebrows shoot up in surprise before the man turned to glance around the store, looking up to scan the signs around them. Then he headed off again, with Steven in tow.

"Ah…"

"Hang up," he heard Jasper order, her voice a little louder now, but still faint.

"I have to hang up," Aster declared, somewhat awkwardly. Steven snorted despite himself, but he couldn't bite back a smile despite his confusion. "We'll see you when you get here."

There was a click and the line went dead; Steven shook his head slightly and looked down at his phone while he walked, saving Aster's number into his contacts and deciding to list him as 'Pepto' for now, then tucked it away again and glanced over at his father - who still looked a mixture of confused and amused, but also somewhat concerned. "So why are they…"

"No idea," Steven sighed. "Jasper told him to hang up."

"Hooo boy." Greg rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. "This can't be good…"

Steven only offered a quiet hum of agreement, adjusting his grip on the cane with a smile. Right then, he felt very content. It had been a pretty slow day, a _calm_ day; they'd had breakfast, stayed home and watched a little TV; he'd talked with Connie on the phone, then called Parker. Then Peedee had come over to have lunch with them since he was off work today, and they'd gone to the store once he'd left. That's why they were here now; they'd come with the intention of grocery shopping, but Greg had abruptly remembered the cane thing and dragged Steven off to the pharmacy while Aster and Jasper wandered off to do their own thing. It hadn't been a bad day by any means - one of the more peaceful ones he'd had. Recently, everything seemed peaceful. Normal. Steven was… he was happy. He was _getting_ happy. It was… pretty relieving.

When they finally reached the pet department, they found Aster waiting for them by the dog beds. Steven offered his brother a curious look as they approached, staring at the fish bowl he was holding. The fish bowl that currently had several things inside, such as a bag of colorful, rainbow pebbles, some containers of fish food, and what looked to be a miniature cave.

Aster shot him a helpless look, but his eyes betrayed him; two, albeit small, diamond pupils. He looked oddly excited, and as warming as it was, it was _extremely_ confusing as well. "Jasper!"

Steven tried to peer down the aisle, but Aster raised a hand to block him. "What-?"

Jasper finally appeared, turning the corner, and he saw - very clearly - _what._

At first, he could only stare in surprise at what she had cupped in her hands. Not because of what it was, but because of how tenderly she seemed to be holding it, her hands circled around it almost timidly as if she were afraid of crushing it. It was the most gentle thing he'd ever seen from Jasper, and it rendered him more than speechless. His mind came screeching to a startling halt all at once as the orange gem paused beside his brother, a smirk tugging at her lips, and held the thing out a little so he could see it more clearly as she spoke. "Looks like I caught one."

In her hands she held a small, plastic container half-filled with water, with a blue lid that sunk in in the center and formed a small tube that reached down only a few inches above the water. Inside, Steven was equally startled to see, a tiny red and blue fish was swimming in circles. It was blue, light blue - cyan, he noted - for the most part, from the head to the base of the tail. Only then did it fade into red, all the way down to the tips, where it merged into more… purplish.

Shock and delight stirred in his chest, and Jasper, as gentle as she was, wasted no time in plopping the container into his free hand. He genuinely didn't know what to say, though he tried; he opened his mouth, looking up at her, but she was quick to silence him with a glare. "Don't."

"It's for you," Aster informed him with a happy little hum, as Steven looked back down. "A pet."

The container, on the top, read 'Female Betta Fish' in large letters. Steven traced them briefly before lifting the container carefully to get a better look at the fish, who swam around the container in a full circle once more before coming to a complete stop, peering at him sideways. Despite himself, Steven couldn't bite back a giggle. Greg leaned down slightly to get a better look, mumbling a quiet 'wow' as he took in the fish. Aster and Jasper looked pleased with themselves by the time Steven looked back up, and despite Jasper's objections, he couldn't keep himself from opening his mouth this time. "I- thanks. Really." He pretended not to notice Jasper's cheeks flushing a slightly darker orange; he'd save her from that embarrassment. "She's cute," he added, peering back down at the container, unable to keep the grin off his face.

Jasper grunted. Aster shuffled a little closer to look. "What are you going to name her?"

"That's a good question." Steven watched the fish for a moment longer, fascinated as she swam in a circle again, and peered at his brother through the clear plastic. "I don't know yet…"

"Plenty time to figure it out, kiddo." Greg ruffled his hair and Steven let him this time, though he did jerk away after a second, making a point of glaring at him good-naturedly as he did so. Greg simply laughed as he stood back up, taking the fish bowl and other items from Aster - who seemed pretty happy to relinquish such items. "Let's go home so you can get her settled."

Steven stared at the fish for a moment longer before he finally moved his gaze. "What about-"

"I'll come back," Greg assured him, grinning. "Jas can babysit."

Jasper shot him a glare. "I always 'babysit'."

"And we don't _need_ a babysitter," Steven added. "At the very least, Azzy's responsible."

"And Jasper likes grocery shopping," Aster chimed in.

"I don't-" Jasper cut off with a grumble, and Aster met her glare steadily until the orange gem crossed her arms over her chest and looked away again. Steven huffed out a laugh, sharing an amused look with his brother, while Greg rolled his eyes with a fond, amused smile on his face.

" _Oy vey._ Okay, fine. Aster, you're in charge."

"Very well," Aster replied distractedly, busy looking Steven's new cane over. Despite himself, the hybrid found himself brandishing it with a newfound sense of pride, which only grew when his brother's lips twitched and tugged upwards into a barely-noticeable smirk. But his diamond-shaped pupils widened, and _that_ was definitely noticeable. "I like your cane, brother."

"I could get used to it," Steven admitted begrudgingly as he started to follow Greg, holding the fish container carefully with his free hand. "At least until my leg heals completely, that is. If it does."

"It will." Aster fell into step with him, and Jasper came up on his other side.

"Hopefully," Jasper grumbled, and Steven's lips twitched.

He glanced back down at the fish for a moment, lost in thought. A simple gesture, but… one that honestly meant everything to him. Proof that things were looking up, moving forward. Proof of the friends and family he'd made and found along the way. Proof of the support and the love he was receiving. It was everything he knew Jasper couldn't say aloud, everything that Aster _had._ He knew it was an inside joke, the result of a friendship he still wasn't too sure he deserved. He knew it was a show of support, a gesture for comfort. He knew it exactly for what it was, seeing it very clearly for the first time, _understanding_ it for the first time. It was love. It was forgiveness.

It was _hope._

Steven grinned, as the fish swam another circle, fins and tail fluttering rapidly in the water. "Hope," he spoke to his family without looking up, even as the three of them turned to look at him. Jasper and Greg looked confused for a second, but Aster understood it immediately.

"A beautiful name," his brother acknowledged. He was smiling, widely, when Steven looked up.

"And a beautiful thing," Steven replied, meeting his gaze before looking at the other two. Jasper, with renewed interest, fixed her gaze on the container and squinted, while Greg only smiled.

It was life.

And for the first time in a long time, he wanted to live it.


End file.
